Billionaire's Revenge Game

CHAPTER 3 : THE PROPOSAL

He appeared to be saying something. His lips were moving fast, but Aurelia was far too occupied with his face to make sense of his words. And his voice? Was it possible to be so nice?

Aurelia always assumed that she would be the last person to be attracted to someone based on their looks alone. This man proved her wrong. It was very much possible for Aurelia to swallow back her words.

"Excuse me?" The man gave an apologetic smile as he held up the bags towards her.

Aurelia broke out of the trance and took the bags with both hands. Once again, her hands were full. Fingers clenched together to keep her from falling into another one of those.

"Once again, I am sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Aurelia gulped, "It's okay."

The man's smile became wider, "You have a nice voice."

"Thank you."

It was a perfectly normal compliment. Aurelia's cheeks were dotted with blushes for the first time upon receiving a perfectly normal compliment.

"See you again sometime," the man said.

Aurelia looked at him one more time, then quickly looked away. When she looked up again, she saw his back turned towards her as he walked away.

Aurelia found her eyes glued to his straight and muscular back until he disappeared into a store. For the first time, she understood the meaning of all the words of praise she grew up healing.

All of them applied to him.

Unfortunately, it was a momentary excitement of seeing something new.

Was it new?

She felt a vague familiarity coming from that face. It was hard to tell when she was half confused due to their interaction.

Aurelia clenched her fingers together. The touch of that cold ring on her finger became obvious. The illusion instantly shattered. Her reality was something else. She did not have the freedom to dream.

Zara came back soon and they went back home together. Aurelia was back to normal after experiencing the novel encounter with that man.

It just so happened that Rachel and Victor were home as well and told them to get ready for the party.

Unlike many rich families who owned villas and mansions in the city, their family preferred to live in a luxury apartment. It came with its perks and a couple of disadvantages. For example, they were not able to hold big parties in the apartment.

Aurelia changed into a new dress and got ready. Her long hair fell right by the hips in loose waves. To show that she really made efforts, a diamond hairpin was adorned on one side of her head. Eyes lined with black made her emerald eyes pop.

The family of four drove towards the venue. It was a large event. More than an engagement party, it was to announce the union of the two business ventures. The two families were going to have each other's backs from now on.

The Dishaw and Listan families were going to become one.

It was not surprising that the eldest daughter of the Listan family was being auctioned off for business deals. It is one of the most common practices in the business world.

Businessmen trade.

They trade everything. Family, relationships, money and feelings. Everything they possessed had the potential to be a bargaining chip.

Besides, Aurelia recognised the fact that, in front of the Dishaw family, her own surname was nothing to rave about. Since Rachel wanted her to stay behind Cooper and cooperate, Aurelia could do it.

It was a puppeteers' play. She was a puppet that just needed to be played. She's been in that role for the entirety of nineteen years. That's all she knew how to do.

The venue was already busy with reporters and guests. A carpet stretched from the spot where the car stopped to the entrance of the venue. The moment Aurelia stepped out, she was welcomed by unannounced bursts of lights flashing at her.

Aurelia pulled the corners of her lips upwards in a smile. She couldn't tell how wrong it looked, but it felt uncomfortable. She was already counting minutes. This was the first time she was under so much attention.

Zara was right next to her. The social butterfly was in her element. Hands up, waved in the most elegant manner. It did nothing but highlight the awkwardness of Aurelia's stiff movements.

Zara hooked her arms to Aurelia and walked together. It was the first time Aurelia was grateful to have Zara around. Their parents walked behind, giving the two sisters all of the spotlight.

Aurelia barely took a breath once they entered the venue when she was whisked away by Zara to a room. Aurelia looked up expressionlessly.

Zara touched up her makeup in the small mirror from the handbag and did some for Aurelia as well. Aurelia let her dab all the powder and touch her face the way she wanted. She dare not flinch even if each dab hurt enough to bruise the skin.

"Make sure to smile when you go out. Stay next to Cooper all the time. Mom and dad have their own arrangements. They need to talk to others all evening, so don't disturb them. Remember, this engagement will help our family rise up in the business world. You haven't been helpful in anything. Now is your chance to prove that you are not as useless as you seem." Zara mixed in some tips and insults at the same time.

Once the touch up was done, she lifted Aurelia's chin and scoffed, "Show us what this pretty face can do."

Aurelia avoided the disgusted gaze. Zara left her alone in the room to go out and socialize with their father. She was always that social butterfly that everyone liked and recognised as the true daughter of the Listan family. Compared to Aurelia, she was more qualified.

Not having the mind to do anything else, Aurelia stood by the window to look outside at the stars.

The party was to commence at a certain time after the Dishaw family's arrival. Aurelia waited for someone to fetch her but half an hour passed and no one came.

Aurelia did not know impatience. She waited and waited and the door finally opened. Aurelia turned around to find Zara, Rachel and Victor rushing into the room.

Panic was written in bold letters on their faces. Seeing Aurelia's calmness, Rachel was even more irritated.

"Is it time to go?" Aurelia took the rare initiative to ask.

Rachel looked up fiercely, "Yes, it's time."

Zara pursed her lips and looked away. Victor was in deep thought but did not say anything. Aurelia didn't know what was going on, since it was time to go out, she would go outside.

Once they stepped outside together, Aurelia realised that something was really wrong. Something was terribly out of place.

Cooper and his family were nowhere in sight. The guests were still there and their attention on them was half part mocking and half part sympathy.

She seemed to have been .... abandoned?

Aurelia touched the diamond ring on her finger. Wasn't she engaged just two days ago? What was this? She looked at Rachel for an answer.

Her gaze burned a fire in Rachel's chest. She didn't want that questioning yet innocent gaze on her.

Rachel huffed, "They might be running late. Let's wait for some time."

Aurelia nodded obediently. She could wait. She'd do everything she was asked to do.

Another fifteen minutes later, Victor gave up calling Cooper and his family members. There was no way to know where they were. In the end, he was the one who bore the most embarrassment. His face burned as if someone had showered a thousand slaps on them.

"They are not coming. I will end the party and apologize to everyone," Victor made the decision reluctantly.

Aurelia held her fingers together. She had been sitting with Zara and Rachel at a table for a while now and Cooper was nowhere in sight. It was certain by now that he had the intention of abandoning her in front of everyone. This was a declaration to pull out of their business agreement as well.

Usually such things were done in private, but the Dishaw family chose to make a joke out of it in public. This not only ruined their personal agreements but also their agreements with others.

The Dishaw family business has its roots deep in the business world that can't be shaken. It was not the same for the Listan family.

They had to rely on others to some extent to reach further in the business world. This embarrassing situation meant others wouldn't take them seriously either. Their names would be taken in gatherings and laughed at.

Aurelia's wide emerald eyes reflected her father's red face that was full of helplessness and anger. There was nothing that could save them now. This situation was beyond their control.

"Ahem," Victor took the mic and made a sound to get everyone's attention.

Expectant eyes from the guests made it hard for him to speak. He forced himself to talk. It was better to speak out and leave as soon as possible or else the embarrassment would only multiply.

"What bad luck," Rachel spoke through clenched teeth. Seeing no other way to vent, she chose Aurelia to dump her heavy words on.

"You had one job and you managed to ruin that as well. Aren't you pretty? Can't you hold a man to yourself? We did all the work for you and got you engaged, but he still chose to run away. Bringer of bad luck!" Rachel spoke without thinking.

Aurelia's shoulders sagged under the heavy weight of accusations. She looked down at the diamond ring and freshly painted nails.

She couldn't make heads and tails of the accusations coming towards her like shards of glass. She simply accepted them.

Without lifting her head, she heard her father speak on the stage. She was supposed to be standing there with her fiance tonight. Who would have known something like this was going to happen?

The guests and the reporters were having a field day in their misery. Tomorrow's newspapers are about to be flooded with similar headlines.

"I am honoured to host everyone today at my eldest daughter, Aurelia's engagement party. It's unfortunate that there has been a small problem and we are not able to continue with the celebration. I hope everyone has a good time and enjoy the services before leaving -" Victor was about to end his short speech when his voice was cut off.

The mic lost its sound first and the lights went off next. The entire venue was shrouded in darkness. Voices were heard but nothing could be seen.

Aurelia's heart gave a nervous thump. It was not easy to adjust to absolute darkness after being in the bright light for so long.

Then something unexpected happened. A spotlight came on in the middle of the hall. Under the spotlight was a man whose face was still fresh in Aurelia's memory.

The everlasting impression of those blue eyes was not going anywhere and even if it wasn't so obvious, that face was simply too good to be casted out of memory. Who would possibly want to forget such a nice thing?

Currently, that man with the handsome face was wearing a suit. The slightly unruly air that the rolled up sleeves brought to him was nowhere to be found. He looked out together. Perfectly fine.

Aurelia's eyes were stuck on him and so was everyone else's. However, their reason was slightly different from Aurelia's.

As Aurelia simply appreciated the beauty that he was, others were staring speechlessly at the sudden arrival of this unexpected guest. Even Victor on the stage was too stunned to speak.

The spotlight followed him. After he walked halfway, Aurelia realised he was walking towards her.

Whispers rose in the background, soft music flowed in the background. Everything slowly fell into place as it should be. Only Aurelia couldn't understand what was happening.

When the man stood right in front of Aurelia, she started to rise up to show basic respect. Before she even stood up, he pressed her shoulder down.

Aurelia and the man shared the same spotlight. Everyone's eyes were on them. A hush of silence and screaming whispers were mingled together. Aurelia heard waves in her ears. She felt hot all over.

Something wasn't right.

Aurelia needed guidance. She needed someone to tell her what to do. She instinctively reached out for Rachel, who was sitting next to her. The hand that was raised for Rachel was held by the man.

Aurelia's hazy eyes suddenly filled with vigilant sharpness.

"Excuse me," she softly whispered.

"Miss Aurelia Listan," the man took her name, stunning her in place. The words of warning were left unsaid from her lips. She looked up in surprise.

Then, realisation dawned on her.

The blue eyes she had seen earlier in the day and the fast moving lips, the face that she had admired for half a day were indeed familiar. She had seen it just the way she had seen her fiance. In newspapers and magazines. He dominated the front page like it was his own house.

The man from those business newspapers was standing in front of her. It was true that everything in the media was not really the way it was showcased. This man was way more handsome in person than on a piece of paper.

Alexander Weston. The man who moved in the business world like a storm. Who just so happened to be the object of Aurelia's admiration for the entire evening?

"Yes?" Aurelia politely responded to his call.

Alexander smiled softly. He held a mic in one hand and Aurelia's fingers in the other. Under the watchful, stunned gaze of every human present at the venue, he slowly knelt on one knee right before Aurelia.

"I have admired you for a long time." His thumb gently rubbed her knuckles. "Unfortunately, circumstances never allowed us to encounter each other in a way where I could express my admiration for you. Luck smiled upon me as today I saw the chance and decided to give it a shot."

Aurelia blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean to say?" She asked.

"I will stop beating around the bush then." With eyebrows raised full of ambiguity, he said, "Cooper Dishaw is a coward. He isn't worthy of you. Give me a chance. I know how to protect my treasures."